FORESTS IN GREECE,    FORESTS IN EUROPE

Flora

Greece occupies the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, the total land area being 131,957 km2. In Greece there are about 6,900 species and sub-species of wild-growing vascular plants. Endemic species and sub-species in Greece are over 1,300. Endemic species occur in a region and are exclusive to that region, not being found anywhere else in the Balkans or the rest of the world.
The richness of the flora is a result of a number of conditions, the most important being:
-    An old flora containing many Tertiary species which have survived the Quaternary Ice Ages.
-    Isolation of land masses, islands, mountain ranges, etc. as a result of the changes in level and extent of Mediterranean Sea.
-    The proximity of other floras, notably the central European, Anatolian and Pontic floras.
-    The influence of man and domestic animals in destroying and changing the natural plant cover. 

Fauna

 Greece is an important east Mediterranean peninsula since it has an extremely diverse terrain and harbors many forest types ranging from mountainous habitats of dwarf pines to coastal gallery forests. The fauna of Greece as a result of this is of extended diversity and actually a mixture of European, Asian and African species. It includes bears, wild cats, brown squirrels, jackals, foxes, deer, wolves, lynxes, as well as rare species of wild-goat, which inhabit the mountainous regions of Crete. The mammals of Greece are about 116 species, of which 57 belong to IUCN endangered species categories. An astonishing number of 422 bird species is recorded, where the 2/3 of this are migratory birds. These habitats harbour many insect species which are rare or protected by nature conservation legislation. Many insects are to be described yet, especially endemic forms. The record of Greek entomofauna is around 30,000 species and we expect this to rise over 50,000 after intensive survey of all insect species. Of particular importance are insect species that inhabit dead wood and those living in the trunks and hollows of trees (megatrees) within primeval forests. As a result of this many animal species make their lives on the rich entomofauna.
The most important reasons for which Greece harbours so many species are being:
•    The mild climate that permits the insect activity all over the year
•    The lack of Pleistocene glaciations in the area in spite of the intensity of the relief
•    The “peninsula effect” that increased the number of endemics. Some remote areas (e.g. Mt Tayetos) at the edges of peninsulas have almost 45 % of endemics
•    Many forests on the mountains of mainland and on islands harbour a diverse endemic fauna exploitable by many vertebrate species (birds, amphibian, serpents and small mammals and bats).
However the widespread urbanization and tourist areas and establishment brought many species on the brink of extinction whilst we are ignorant of how many species (especially insects) are now extinct before we know about their presence.